True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

Each breath is a new beginning, a fresh opportunity to awaken.

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

Past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty. Future thoughts are unborn and fresh. The present moment abides naturally and unconstructed.

The person who clings to nothing of the past, present and future, who has no attachment and no aversion, has no conceptual imprints.

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

The path to liberation is a gradual path of self-discipline, self-development, and self-transformation.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

The path to enlightenment is not a path at all. It is a realization that where you are is where you have always been.

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay.

The snow lion stays in the mountains, and the snow lion's ways are the snow lion's ways.

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

The most important things in our practice are our physical posture and our way of breathing.

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what's happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what's happening.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we appreciate each moment of our lives.

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

The supreme path is not to fabricate anything. The supreme meditation is not to be distracted.

Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.